Rail anchor securing means



A ril 17, 1951 M. K. RUPPERT RAIL ANCHOR SECURING MEANS Filed July 3, 1948 J3 12 Z9 Z3 Patented Apr. 17, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE RAIL ANCHOR SECURING MEANS Max K. Ruppert, Chicago, Ill., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Poor & Company, Chicago, 111., a. corporation of Delaware Application July s, 1948, Serial'No. 37,021

V 1 l s V This invention relates to an improved means for securing, to a railroad cross-tie, a rail anchoring device of the general class which has clamping engagement with the base portion of a railroad rail and abuts against a vertical face of the cross-tie to resist creeping movements of the rail in the direction of said abutment.

The creeping movement of a railroad rail results from a combination of several factors, including the vertical undulations or wave movements of the rail, which are produced by the rolling load on the rail as the car wheels pass across the spacing between adjacent ties. The pressures on the rail, tending to produce creeping movement thereof, is most pronounced in the direction ofrthe moving load. Consequently, the said rail anchoring devices are positioned on the rail so that each anchoring device will abut against a vertical face of an adjacent cross-tie and thereby prevent forward creeping movements of the rail. 1 a

While the-creeping pressure on a railroad rail isfmost pronouncedin the direction of the traffic, each vertical undulationproduces a retrograde pressure component which, unless it is adequate- 3 Claims. (01. 238-321) have usually involved attachments of the anchor holding member to a tie plate at a location whereby the creeping pressure on the rail tends to skew the tie plate out of its proper alignment with the rail. In some of the early proposals, for twoway rail anchors, the rail fastening spikes were utilized tosecure the anchor holding member to thecross-tie, or to the rail. In either case, the retrograde creeping pressure on the rail is transmitted directly to the rail fastening spikes and thereby provide additional wear on the spikes.

The present invention, therefore, aims to provide a rail anchor securing means which avoids any attachment whatsoever to a tie plate and is connected directly to a cross-tie, whereby the ,tie plate, being relieved from all creeping pressuregfrom the rail, will have no tendency to be ly resisted, tends .to move the rail in a direction to carry the rail anchoring deviceaway from its abutting engagement with the cross-tie. Such condition removes the abutment resistance to the next forward creeping movement of the rail, whereby a substantially greater creeping pressure isbuilt up by the unresisted' movement of the rail. o

A principal object of the'invention is to provide a rail anchor securing device of inexpensive structure which will hold the anchor device firmly against an adjacent cross-tie, whereby the anchor will function to prevent both forward and retrograde creeping movements of the rail.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simplified structure which will function as a two-way anchor to prevent both forward and reverse creeping movements of a railroad rail and which will 'permitthe rail clamping element, of the combination, to move vertically relative to the cross-tie. This capacity for relative vertical movement is important, since it prevents the verticalwave movement of the rail from pumpe ing the cross-tie up and down the roadbed.

The two-way rail anchor structures heretofore proposed, and involving the provision of a rail clamp and a separate holding means forpre-.

in the ballast of skewed out of its proper alignment with the base portion of the rail;

It is also a principal object of the present invention to provide a two-way rail anchor structure of the above, character which will permit the rail clamping member to be readily applied to and removed from the rail without disturbing the position of the rail, the tie plate, or the rail fastening spikes, and which will hold the rail clamp member firmly against the cross-tie without exerting disturbing pressures on the rail fastening devices.

The invention is illustrated, in.a preferred embodiment, in the accompanying-drawing wherein:

Fig. lgis aplan view of a portion of a railroad rail and the underlying supporting structure together with a two-way rail anchor structure constructed in accordance with this invention.

1 Fig. 2 is a fragmentary face view of the struc ture shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a view of the structure shown in Fig. 2, looking toward an end of a rail clamping element.

The invention is illustrated herein in connection with a railroad rail and a conventional supporting structure for the rail.

The base portion of the railroad rail is designated by the reference numeral It]. It is seated on a tie plate ll secured on the topvface I201? an The tie vplate is ordinary wooden cross-tie [3. shown as provided with shoulders l4-l4, at opposite sides of the rail, which provide lateral abutments for the rail and define the side limits of a rail seat I 5. The tie plate I I is formed with the usual spike openings l6 for receiving rail securing spikes IL The tie plate may be secured to the top surface 12 of the cross-tie by means of additional spikes l8. 1

The rail securing spikes H are normally so:

3 applied that a slight clearance is provided between the under-surface IQ of the spike head and the top surface of the rail base flange (see Fig. 2) so that the normal vertical wave movement of the rail will have no tendency to partially withdraw the rail fastening spike H from the crosstie. Furthermore, the clearance between the bottom surface IQ of the rail spikes l1 and the base portion of the rail prevents the vertical wave motion of the rail from imparting vertical pumping movements to the cross-tie in the ballast of the roadbed.

Inasmuch as the rail fastening spikes l'|-l1 function to permit limited vertical movement of the rail relative to the rail supporting structure, but prevents abnormal relative movement, it is important, therefore, that the rail fastening spikes ll be relieved, as much as possible, from lateral pressure tending to loosen them in the cross-tie. For this reason the present invention aims to avoid any direct attachment of the rail anchor device 28 to the tie plate I I.

The tie plate II, as herein shown, has its edge 2| spaced inwardly from the vertical face 22 of the cross-tie, but this arrangement is merely for the purpose of accommodating the special form of rail anchor device Ell herein shown.

Inasmuch as the rail anchor securing means 23 of the present invention may be used in combination with rail anchor devices of various forms and constructions, the specific form of rail anchor, herein shown, is used merely as an illustration and not as a limitation.

The said rail anchor device comprises a bar of substantially T-configuration, in crosssection, bent at one end into hook form to provide upper and lower jaws 21; and 25 for clamping the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of one base flange of the railroad rail. The upper and lower jaws are driven into said clamping engagement by driving the anchor as a whole transversely of the rail. The other end of the anchor device is provided with a locking shoulder 26 which snaps up over the vertical edge .2? of the rail base, to hold the anchor device in its applied position. In the special form of'anchor-shown, the lateral flange 23 of the anchor device projects over the top surface 1 2 of the cross-tieg the vertical flange 29 being positioned to bear against thervertical face 22 of the cross-tie. This abutting engagement between the fiangefiil of the rail anchor and the cross-tie, serves to transmit, directly to the cross-tie, all rail creeping pressures which are exerted in a direction to press the anchor device against the cross-tie.

It is known that, when a rail is subjected to creeping pressure in the direction of the moving traffic, for example, in a direction to press the anchor device against the vertical face 22 of the cross-tie, the abutting engagement between the said rail anchor and the cross-tie will prevent forward creeping movement of the rail. However, there is ordinarily no provision for resisting the reverse pressure component developed-by he wave motion of the rail, Consequently, this reverse pressurecomponent, unless resisted, tends to carry therail anchor device away from its bearing contact against the vertical face of the cross-tie. Under such condition, the next forward creeping pressure on the rail is not resisted instantaneously. On the contrary, the rail moves forwardly before the-anchor is againpressed against the adjacent :cross-tie.

In order to overcome the said retrograde creeping actionof the railroad rail and also provide a 4 simplified two-way anti-creeper for use in a single track having train traific moving in both direc tions, the invention provides a simplified rail anchor securing means 23 in the form of a metallic strap. The said securing means is made from a flat metal bar, the ends 30-3U of which are bent at right angles to the middle portion 3|. The said ends 30-30 are bent transversely of the greatest width of the bar so that the middle portion 3| thereof will bear edgewise against the depending flange 29 of the rail anchor device 20.

The endportions 30-30 are provided with enlargements 32-32 which are pierced with suitable spike receiving openings and are rigidly secured to the top surface [2 of the cross-tie I3 by means of spikes 33; It will be observed in this connection that the said ends 30-30 of the anchor securing means are secured directly to the cross-tie as distinguished from the usual attachments to the tie plate, and thereby avoid transmitting rail creeping pressures to the tie plate or tothe rail securing spikes l1. At the junctures of the ends 30-30 with the middle portion 3 l the anchor strap is bent downwardly so that the midbent portions 35-35 of the said end portions flange 34 of the anchor device and engage the flange 29 of the anchor at alocation below the top surface 12 of the cross-tie. The downwardly bent portions 33--3'5 of the said end portions. 3il,3fl are preferably relatively short seas to preventany substantial flexing of the anchor securing means when it is subjected to retrograde creeping pressure of the rail.

From the above it will be observed that the present invention provides a simplified two-way anchor comprising a rail clampingelement and a means for firmly securing the rail clamping element to ,a cross-tie, but'with capacity for ver-' tical movement of the rail clamping element relative to the cross-tie, and that the structure disclosed herein will also permit the rail anchor to be applied :to and removed from: the rail without disturbing the position of the rail, tie plate, .rail securing spikes, or the rail clamp securing means.

nIclai-m'. p

- 1; In combination with a railroad rail and an underlying cross-tie on which the rail is supported, of means for. resisting longitudinal creeping movements of the :railin both forward and reverse directions comprising a rail clamping element adapt'edrto .be driven transversely of a rail to its applied position on the base portion of the rail and including a portion which extend .across the rail beneath the :base portion thereof and bears'against a vertical face of the cross-tie to resist creeping movement of the railin one direction, and a securing device secured directly to the cross-tie. at locations .spaced from the rail at opposite sides thereof and positioned to slidably' engage one .side face only of said rail clamping element to hold :the opposite side face thereof in close'eonta'ct with said vertical face of the crosstie; the said securing device comprising a flat metal barhaving its ends bentat right angles to the middle portion of the bar to provide arms for attachment to the cross-tie and the said middle portion is arranged to bear edgewise against the rail clamping 'elementfor the full length of the under-rail portion thereof and cooperates with the cross-tie to define a space for receiving said clamping element, which space is substantially longer than the-c'lampingzelement so that the lat-' ter may be applied and removed from the rail without disturbing the position of the rail.

In combination with a railroad rail and an movement of the rail in one direction, and a securing device secured directly to the top sur-' face of the cross-tie at locations spaced from the rail at opposite sides thereof and positioned to slidably engage one side face only of said rail clamping element to hold the opposite side face thereof in close contact with said vertical face of: the cross-tie; the said securing device comprising;

. cross-tie and spaced outwardly from the adjacent a fiat metal bar having its ends bent at right angles to the middle portion of the bar to provide arms for attachment to the cross-tie and the said middle portion is arranged to bear edgewise against the rail clamping element for thefull length of the under-rail portion thereof, the said against a vertical face of the cross-tie to resist creeping movement of the rail in one direction, and a securing device secured directly to the cross-tie at locations spaced from the rail at opposite sides thereof and positioned to slidably engage one side face only of said rail clamping element to hold the opposite side face thereof in close contact with said vertical face of the crosstie; the said securing device comprising a flat metal bar having its ends bent at right angles to its middle portion to provide attaching arms for overlying the top face of the cross-tie and the arms being offset downwardly adjacent their junction with the said middle portion so as to arms being bent downwardly adjacent their juncture with the middle portion of said bar, whereby the said middle portion engages the rail clamp at a location spaced downwardly from the top face of the cross-tie.

3. In combination with a railroad rail and an underlying cross-tie on which the rail is supported, of means for resisting longitudinal creeping movements of the rail in both forward and reverse directions comprising a rail clamping element formed with a hook portion adapted toibe driven transversely of the rail into gripping engagement with the base portion of the rail'and including an under-rail portion for bearing position the said middle portion at a location spaced downwardly from the top surface of the vertical face thereof, whereby said rail clamping device may be positioned in the space between the cross-tie and the said middle portion of said securing device and be thereafter driven transversely of the rail to its applied position thereon.

MAX K. RUPPERT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,601,880 Osborn Oct. 5, 1926 1,607,644 Scholes Nov. 28, 1926 1,686,028 Pahner Oct. 2, 1928 2,161,484 Preston June 6, 1939 2,294,987 Johnson Sept. 8, 1942 

